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Shin Kudō
is the main protagonist of the Macross Zero OVA. He is a Japanese-American fighter pilot flying for the United Nations Military, who is later assigned to Skull Squadron under Roy Focker. His wingman is Edgar LaSalle. Personality & Character Shin is generally a very taciturn person and does not trust many people easily. He usually takes what appears to be the best course of action in combat even if it jeopardizes the lives of his wingmen, since he staunchly believes that all fighter pilots must maintain focus while in the air as a lapse is oftentimes fatal. Shin's hardened demeanor gradually softens after meeting the Nome sisters. Skills & Abilities Shin's proficiency in handling a classic fighter jet is top-class, but struggled at first during his transition to a Variable Fighter since he was more used to conventional aerial dogfights. Roy Focker tried to make him unlearn this habit during basic training. His impulsive actions while at the helm of the VF-0 consistently overworked the engine, which in turn got him in a lot of trouble with Raizou Nakajima. It was soon revealed that the veteran Chief Mechanic was actually happy that Shin was one of the few people apart from Roy who can push the machine to the limit. History As a child in 1999, he witnessed the fall of the Macross and the following Unification Wars. His family is killed before his eyes, a memory that would haunt him and turn him into a quiet and mistrusting person. He joins the U.N. Spacy as an F-14 fighter pilot. During a mission, his home carrier the Kitty Hawk class (Illustria) is ambushed and he is shot down by the Anti-U.N's transformable SV-51 and lands in Mayan Island. He later flies the VF-0D Phoenix variable fighter under the tutelage of Roy Focker . Aside from his rear-seat radar intercept officer, Edgar La Salle , he has few friends and is slow to trust. His interactions with the cheerful Mao Nome and his growing attraction to her more reserved sister, Sara Nome, help him open up. During the final episode, the extraterrestrial object known as "Bird Human" by the Mayan people awakens, assimilating Sara into the cockpit located at its head. He manages to break through the Bird Human's attacks and makes Sara realize that it is Shin instead of an evil spirit (called a "Kadun" by the Mayans). The U.N. Forces, however, see the Bird Human as a liability and launch nuclear weapons at it. Sara sacrifices herself to save Shin and the rest of the Mayan Island which would have been destroyed by the nuclear fallout. The "Bird Human" is critically damaged from the blasts and shoots off into space incredibly fast in what appears to be a space fold. Shin's VF-0A Phoenix suffers engine damage from the blasts and plunges towards the ocean. He is seemingly saved from certain death by Sara. Finally, an amazed Mao Nome watches Shin and his damaged fighter ascending into space in the same way that the "Bird Human" did. 2059 Shin's experiences were later portrayed in a movie called "The Bird Human". Alto Saotome, a former kabuki actor, agreed to double for the main actor portraying Shin during an underwater scene. Relationships ;Sara Nome :His love interest. He first looks at her with suspicion and sees her ancient religion and practices as hokum. He slowly starts believing after seeing her power and immersing himself in the island's beauty. ;Mao Nome :His friend. She finds him fascinating as someone who came from modern civilization. She has unrequited feelings for his affections. She eventually realizes her own power and uses it to try to save Shin. ;Edgar LaSalle :Radar Intercept Officer and Shin's only friend in the beginning. Shin treats Edgar pretty much the same as everyone else, but after getting separated with Edgar when their F-14 was taken down, Shin visibly grieved his loss. Edgar survived of course, and reprised his role when Shin started piloting the VF-0. ;Roy Focker :Superior, trainer, and later a friend. Roy saw Shin's potential and encouraged him to learn the inner workings of the VF-0. Gallery ShinKudo-MacrossZero.jpg|Shin Kudō's profile. MZero Shin01.jpg|Shin as a child with his familly witnessing the light when the ASS-1 first crashed on Earth. MZero Shin02.jpg|Shin in the cockpit of his F-14A+Kai Super Tomcat sans oxygen mask. MZero Shin04.jpg|Shin looking at the new VF-0A Phoenix. MZero Shin05.jpg|Shin calling out to Sara. M30 DD Nora Shin.jpg|D.D., Nora and Shin inside Havamarl Headquarters. CG from the Macross 30 Game. Notes & Trivia *Shin's voice actor, Kenichi Suzumura, is married to fellow voice actress Maaya Sakamoto who sung the first opening theme to Macross Frontier, Triangler as well as voicing Ranshe Mei. *Kenichi Suzumura would later voice the protagonist of ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny'', Shinn Asuka, who shares the same given name in Katakana. External Links *Macross Zero Wiki Category:Macross Zero Characters Category:Pilots Category:Macross Zero Category:M0